Ortiz, union plan news conference on drug test

By BEN WALKER, AP Baseball Writer Aug 7, 12:15 am EDT

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NEW YORK (AP)—Red Sox star David Ortiz(notes) may soon provide more details about his 2003 drug test.

The Boston slugger and incoming players’ union head Michael Weiner plan a news conference Saturday at Yankee Stadium before the Red Sox play New York.

Ortiz said last week that the union confirmed his name was on the list of 104 major leaguers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. He hasn’t divulged any additional details since then.

“I’m going to let you guys know what I’ve got. Period,” Ortiz said after the Yankees beat the Red Sox 13-6.

Asked if the drug test distraction was getting into his head, he said: “Sometimes.”

Big Papi was back in the Boston lineup after sitting out a game, and went 0 for 5. The designated hitter has been stuck in a season-long slump and is batting .222 with 15 home runs and 61 RBIs.

Red Sox owner John Henry said the team won’t comment on the drug test until Ortiz has discussed it.

“I’m going to let David speak first,” Henry said Thursday at an event in Boston. “As soon as he speaks, then we’ll have something to say.”

The list of players who tested positive in 2003 is now under court seal. The players’ union does not plan a court challenge to get Ortiz’s results unsealed, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because it’s a pending legal matter.

Weiner is the union’s general counsel and No. 3 official. Union head Donald Fehr is planning to step down, and has recommended that Weiner take over.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona said he hadn’t noticed Ortiz acting any differently since The New York Times reported last week the star’s name was on the 2003 list.

“I see him handling things very well,” Francona said before the game.

Updated Aug 7, 12:15 am EDT
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431 Comments

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  1. Jpimpsalot
    431. Posted by Jpimpsalot Fri Aug 7 7:40pm EDT

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    hey at least ortiz is on something illegal in baseball not illegal in the country like darryl snif snif blow strawberry another yankee drug addict and bum.
  2. M
    430. Posted by M Fri Aug 7 6:06pm EDT

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    Short bus driver - get a clue...........your "short AND small" you f*cked up little SHORT bus driver!
    ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!! thankys for making it easy for c@nt breath...


    I'm out ya'll !!!!

    NYY and BoSox titles are permanently tainted. Do yourselves a favor and do the honorable thing: denounce your titles and records to salvage your reputations. You players are filthy cut as is "SHORT" (and small) bus driver.... LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  3. Rich Killa Villa
    429. Posted by Rich Killa Villa Fri Aug 7 5:58pm EDT

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    short bus driver - Most of the players on your list were juicing prior to arriving to the Yanks. Since the Yanks are hated on their names are leaked first. Believe me when I say that it's even acros the board in terms of how many teams have or had players that used roids and/or other illegal substances.
  4. M
    428. Posted by M Fri Aug 7 5:57pm EDT

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    yep, papi's got super small, chicklets now!
  5. <i>cole2rocks</i>
    427. Posted by cole2rocks Fri Aug 7 5:57pm EDT

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    Just admit it, Ortiz!! Be honest and say you took Dianabol or Enanthate or Equipoise or Anadrol. Boston fans will forgive you the way we Yankee fans forgave Pettitte and Giambi. It was probably Nomar that gave it to you. How's his acne coming along? LMFAO!!!! Anyway, if you keep stringing this along you're an idiot. Puke it out and move forward. Legalize the juice!!!! Peace.
  6. M
    426. Posted by M Fri Aug 7 5:56pm EDT

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    "I'll be surprized if Ortiz actually juiced up. manny was a no-doubter."

    WTF are you smoking??? Big Papi has not screaming bloody murder that he's innocent. OF COURSE he's guilty as is Ramirez and the NYY...GEEZ!!! You can tell by his language, his response to the reporter in this article and his behavior. He's guilty and he knows it. I cannot believe you would be surprised it he was juicing. The rest of the world already know it!

    Busta Rhymes:

    "Buy a nickle bag (well skip da weed and just..)
    "Smoke a li'l lye (all my people,")
    "Get high tonight ("everybody join together")

    Get off the weed man! Big Papi is toast!
  7. M
    425. Posted by M Fri Aug 7 5:51pm EDT

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    He, along with Ramirez and the NYY are cheaters....plain and simple. All of their titles are tainted. There will always be millions of us out here who will feel you didn't win it fair and square and you can b!tch and moan and plead your case all you want. It won't matter. You all are cheaters. Do the honorable thing and denounce your titles and records.
  8. Jeff
    424. Posted by Jeff Fri Aug 7 4:13pm EDT

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    so i wonder how this will go down.. blah blah blah "i took and over the counter supplement" blah blah blah and "I take responsibility for not doing the research on the supplement that had a banned substance" and blah blah or maybe he will use the old "i had an injury and was just following a doctors orders" ahaha im sure there a bunch of guys in this boat, so why let the names trickle out so slow, just get it in the open and get it over with, print a book with the names of shame and get it over with...I dont hold any bad will against any of them, just be hones and move on.
  9. Rich Killa Villa
    423. Posted by Rich Killa Villa Fri Aug 7 3:22pm EDT

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    I just realized something. Clemens must have gone through a roid rage episode when he tossed the broken bat in Piazza's direction. Lol... BTW, Clemens was a Red Sox before becoming a Yankee. He was juicing way before 2000.
  10. Ron H
    422. Posted by Ron H Fri Aug 7 1:16pm EDT

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    OK, what's going on here now is because of the way the Red Sox fans jumped on A-Rod. Now it's Manny & Papi and everything is different. Right or wrong? Players have been taking anything they could get away with for a long time. Bud Selig won't do anything. He's the problem. No one's going to get anything for the 2003 tests. As I understand it, this testing was done to see how bad the problem was and to ban whatever substance they needed to. The names that were leaked were done selectively. The few that admitted using were not prosecuted because the substances they tested for were not yet banned. The one's that got in trouble were the ones that testified to the grand jury that they did not take anything. They are after them for lying, not for taking anything. Now some substances are banned and positive tests are getting suspensions, like Manny. He got 50 days. Canseco is the only one that came forward since day one and spilled the beans.
  11. <i>xbbvbfz</i>
    421. Posted by xbbvbfz Fri Aug 7 1:06pm EDT

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    http://www.hallofforum.com/

    Come to Hall of Forum for INTELLIGENT sports conversation. Bring your sense of humor and your knowledge and contribute immediately! We always love getting new members who contribute to our rapidly growing community. It's not just a sports forum - check it out.
  12. Andrew J
    420. Posted by Andrew J Fri Aug 7 12:33pm EDT

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    Looking back - i guess EVERYTHING is Red Sox- Yankees, huh RON???
  13. draw
    419. Posted by draw Fri Aug 7 12:28pm EDT

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    All the baseball titles for the last twenty years are tainted - whether a team won 1 ,2 or more. And Ron - this isn't a red sox-yankees thing i'm talking about.
  14. Ron H
    418. Posted by Ron H Fri Aug 7 12:23pm EDT

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    Draw - Boston titles are tainted because they only have 2 during that time. Also, the engine that drove the machine for those two titles was Manny & Papi. If it will make you feel better we could take away four from the Yankees and two from Boston and the Yankees would still have 22 and the "1918" shirts would come back.
  15. draw
    417. Posted by draw Fri Aug 7 12:04pm EDT

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    I love the "Boston's titles are tainted " comments. Really? Why only Boston? Baseball was dirty for twenty years. ALL of those titles are tainted. Gee, maybe one of those other 100 busted players played on a tittle-winning team. DO YOU THINK??????
  16. <i>supashak80</i>
    416. Posted by supashak80 Fri Aug 7 11:00am EDT

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    This is the WWE I mean MLB
  17. Take No Prisoners
    415. Posted by Take No Prisoners Fri Aug 7 10:55am EDT

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    Schilling was on steroids also. His attitude through that e-mail thing against the Yankees was weird and those are some of the effects that took place while on steroids. Remember Clemens throwing the bat at Piazza, etc. etc. etc.?

    I know Canseco was on the roids. He admitted it, but he's my real hero for exposing all of this crap. And I'm glad, because all of those Yankees records that stood the test of time, that not only fell, but were broken multiple times has all been proven wrong! Thanks to Canseco.

    I'm even wondering if Cal Ripken Jr. was on them. How could he go six years without missing an inning and have the opportunity of shattering Lou Gehrig's streak record further, before voluntarily sitting out a Yankees - Orioles game to end it? And if the roids started 15 to possibly 20 years ago in MLB, then you start to wonder about guys like Nolan Ryan, who well into his forties was still firing away. He claimed it was eating well and good exercises and keeping in shape.

    it just makes me wonder.

    That's why MLB is tainted. All those records set decades ago, all fell all at once. It isn't fair to the people, the teams who set them and that's the real problem with all of this. Not to mention all of that stuff is illegal and a bad influence on our young audiences.
  18. chris o
    414. Posted by chris o Fri Aug 7 10:43am EDT

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    If big sloppy was really on roids during their big comebacks and when he had all those game tying hr's and such,if i were a pitcher i'd be mad as $#@#,and that would prove that the sox cheated their way to 2 world series rings,i mean,look at that lineup,mark bellhorn(cheater),that loser who stole 2nd base and then signed with san fran(roberts),most of those from that team are losers on another team or where let go,Big sloppy was a NO ONE when he was with minnesota,and believe me,they know talent when they have it and big sloppy didn't have it,he made a homerun jump from 17 hrs to 36-45 hrs,are u kiddin' me????And plz Sloppy,don't use the "i don't know what i took and i misread the label".......maybe u can use clemens word better............I MISREMEMBER USING HGH IN SANTO DOMINGO.Loser!!!!!!!!!
  19. star
    413. Posted by star Fri Aug 7 10:41am EDT

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    leave pappi alone!!!!!!! period !! you people are relentless. Got a giggle from 412- very true
  20. Ron H
    412. Posted by Ron H Fri Aug 7 10:37am EDT

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    Too bad we can't get Curt Schilling to comment here. Remember how he tried to make Canseco look bad at the hearings? So far, everything Canseco said is looking true. Everything Schilling said is crap. Another Red Sox @#$%.
  21. Take No Prisoners
    411. Posted by Take No Prisoners Fri Aug 7 10:24am EDT

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    Here's how the interview will go:

    'Hamada, hamada, hamada, hamada, hamada, hamada, hamada, hamada, hamada'!

    Theoretically, the red sox should be 92 years without a w.s. championship right now. Cheats!
  22. Fansport77
    410. Posted by Fansport77 Fri Aug 7 9:56am EDT

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    Roid Sox fans are in a big time denial, but the fact remains...Ortiz is as guilty as anyone else on that list. He cheated. Before the news broke, they were laughing at A-Rod and didn't need to know anything else about the list. Since Big Crapi gets caught...now they want all names released. Wait until they find out others like Snot Nixon, Nomar, Pedro and even former players' sons were juiced.
  23. your mom
    409. Posted by your mom Fri Aug 7 9:47am EDT

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    big slappi was injecting beans and rice into his fat a$$!!!!
  24. John S
    408. Posted by John S Fri Aug 7 9:41am EDT

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    431, your team was / and still may be loaded with them. who the hell are you to make comments. what a joke!!!!!!!!!
  25. MIZZLEFIZZLE
    407. Posted by MIZZLEFIZZLE Fri Aug 7 9:04am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Fat ass cheater
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